My name is Hikari Uchiha
by TheSilverMirror
Summary: My name is Hikari Uchiha. I am a bastard, and I accept that fact. I want to be known for who I am, not what I am, and I shall become the greatest female ninja. I won't give up, I won't back down, for that is my ninja way.
1. My Name is Hikari Uchiha

**Disclaimer:**

The author of this story does not have the Sharingan. Therefore, please excuse my sloppy copying technique Kishimoto-sama. As for the production companies that own rights here in the U.S. as well as other companies in other parts of the world… Just think of this as free advertising, and in such a way we all benefit ne? As for Hikari… she is of my own creation. If you wish to copy from me, then tell me if you wish for me to acknowledge your existence. Otherwise, you can do as you see fit. I would be honored to receive a review from anyone who reads this. Tell me what you think and be completely honest. That is all.

**Author's Note:**

I've changed the formatting... **

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**

**My Name is Hikari, Last light of the Uchiha clan**

**-  
**

My name is Hikari Uchiha, and I am the last Uchiha alive… I am also a bastard.

I find no shame in that. It is what I am, and I have learned to accept it.

I used to feel badly when other kids teased me about it.

But now I don't care, and they're too scared to hurt me.

I've learned to be tough, how to live and be strong.

That is what is required, for one to survive as a ninja.

My uncle Neji used to tell me that to be a good shinobi,

I must learn to hide my emotions. However, at one point,

he also told me that I should never refuse to show my mother

that I love her, and that I should respect her for

she has sacrificed much for my sake.

-

Sometimes I don't know what to believe. Life has too many shoulds and shouldn'ts.

Ultimately it is up to each individual to follow the path he or she chooses.

These choices are ultimately what determine our destinies. We live each day

walking along the path, never knowing what will happen next.

But in the end there will always be at least two choices, to live or to die.

I've promised my mother that I would always choose to live.

I've also promised this to myself, and it is a promise that I do not plan to break.

-

On the day of graduation from the academy I had a talk with the Hokage.

He told me what happened between my mother and father.

My father had betrayed this village long ago, but in the end

died to keep Oroochimaru from destroying it. I promised him

that I would never betray the village and that I would die in order to protect it,

just as my father and mother before me. Such would be the only reason

I would ever choose death over life

instead of life over death.

-

Some people don't like me because I'm a bastard.

Some people don't trust me because my father 'betrayed the village',

and despite his ultimate sacrifice there are still people who resent him.

There are also people who don't like me because of my quick temper,

or my overly healthy appetite. But those people are the people I call friends,

because they see me for who I am

and not what I am.

-

I no longer mind when other people call me names, if that is in fact what I am.

If there's no denying it, then what's the point? And since there's nothing I can do to change it...

I've learned to live with my past and my background,

but I won't accept being judged for things that are not under my control.

I have my occasional flaws, but so long as I attempt to correct them every once in a while,

it's okay, and sometimes I even enjoy them.

But ultimately I accept them as part of my personality and therefore a part of me… natural, in a way.

I will remain fully responsible for the consequences of my own actions, and never the actions of others.

I will stand proudly, because I am the last Uchiha heir. I will always strive for my dream

to be the strongest female ninja in Konoha, and maybe even the world.

-

And thus is how I will live my life to the fullest of its potential, ignoring all insults behind my back

by people who don't even know me…except maybe the occasional kunai or two if they get really insulting.

I will learn to be the best kunoichi that I can, accepting who and what I am, accepting my fate created

by my own decisions in life.

I will never give up, I will never back down, and if I should fall I shall always get back up again.

For in the end, as uncle Naruto would say, "that is my ninja way".

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	2. Kunoichi and Shinobi

Disclaimer: Naruto and co are not owned by me. We owe the existence of this series to the ever reneverable Kishimoto-sama, and the respective people that make the existence of an English speaking fan base possible. I'm not that great at this, but I hope to improve in the future. So any type of comment is welcome, even negative ones so long as they're honest and point out the problems. I've revised this chapter according to the suggestion of Bunch-o-Nuts-san, so I hope it is better. If not, please tell me how I can fix it. Arigatou.

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**-**

**Kunoichi and Shinobi**

-

The difference between a kunoichi and a shinobi is,

that a kunoichi is always looked down upon for being a female.

This is not necessarily a bad thing.

I heard my aunt Tenten complaining to my mother the other day.

She resents my uncle Neji for believing that she is weak

just because she is a woman.

-

During dinner time later that day, I told my mother what I thought.

-

"I don't think girls are weaker than guys. They just think we're weaker,

but they're wrong. And it's not necessarily a bad thing, ne? This means we have an advantage.

After all isn't it in the shinobi rulebook that you should never underestimate your opponent?"

-

"That's true… However, Hikari, you should never forget…

that a man is always stronger... physically at least"

-

I don't think I entirely believe her. Once I saw a female ninja from the Hidden Sand,

literally blow half my class away because one of the guys insulted her to her face.

I hid underneath the desk for that particular experience.

But I will never forget the look on the sensei's face when he challenged her,

and was defeated in one swipe of her gigantic fan.

-

At first, there was some hype about punishing her from the sensei.

He complained to the Hokage. But of course, when Naruto told him who she was,

Temari of the Sand, he shut up right away.

You can't exactly punish the Kazekage's sister without considering the diplomatic consequences.

-

"Besides," Naruto said, "Even I wouldn't want to challenge _her _to a fight."

-

No, I don't think all females are weaker then men, only some.

I plan on being better than most shinobi. I plan on one day surpassing my father,

and perhaps even that evil uncle of mine, who I shall not mention by name.

-

I plan on doing so in my own way, of course.

Not by killing anybody, much less my best friend.

Killing my best friend would be a pretty hard thing to do anyways,

considering that my best friend is a Hyuuga, and a mighty good shinobi at that.

I do plan on beating him one day. However, that kid never stays still.

Pretty much, he never stays down for over ten minutes. I swear,

every time I knock him unconscious for being overly perverted,

he just gets right back up again. There have been countless times I've wondered

_how he's a Hyuuga?_ But the answer to that, is a long story.

Needless to say, he's quite annoying... but I've gotten used to it.

-

This is also one of the reasons why I don't think men are stronger than women.

They can

-

"Mother, it might be true that a shinobi is often physically stronger,

but doesn't being smarter count for more?"

-

"Yes," she smiled, "It does count. But we women are also emotionally stronger.

Because of this we live longer than men. That is our ultimate advantage.

Strength counts for nothing

to one who is no longer alive."

-

At this, she did not smile anymore.

I think she is remembering my father.

-

My father sacrificed himself for the sake of this village.

In doing so however, he also sacrificed his own life.

I think my mother still resents him for that. She says she forgives him, but

after all, he did leave her all alone in the world,

with the burden of me to boot.

If it had not been for the rest of the rookie nine, mainly the kunoichi I might add,

I doubt I would even be here today.

-

It is true that it was uncle Lee who ran and got Tsunade in time for the birthing to begin,

or at least that is what grandpa Gai told me, but it's not surprising

considering he is the fastest shinobi in our entire village.

However, it was Ino, Tenten, and Hinata who stood by my mother for emotional support.

Ever since I can remember, it has been aunt Ino who's picked out all my clothes

whenever she and my mother go out shopping.

I don't buy clothes particularly often; it's a waste of time when I could be training.

-

Aunt Tenten is the one who started training me when I first started at the academy.

She is so good with weapons, and her chakara strings are so handy.

I can do them too now, just not as well as her.

She tells me that with enough practice my aim will be as good as hers.

She seems to have a natural talent at it though…

-

I have to practice controlling my chakara.

I already do it better than most other shinobi, including Hizashi,

my Hyuuga friend who I've mentioned previously.

However, it is still not as good as my mother, who controls her chakara almost perfectly.

-

Because we live in a shinobi village, the hospital is almost always busy.

Due to this, my mother hardly has time to even eat dinner with me,

always on those emergency calls,

much less train me to be the excellent ninja I wish to be.

So aunt Tenten trained me during my academy days.

She told me that it was her duty to Sakura as her friend to help train me.

-

Of course, she herself often has time to train with me because her two sons,

Hizashi and Hiashi are always training with their father in the gentle fist style of the Hyuuga.

This is natural, since uncle Neji is the strongest shinobi in their clan.

At first, she didn't know what to do, but then she got a great idea.

My initial training during the academy days consisted largely of hunting and fishing,

fishing to improve my chakara string control, and hunting to improve my aim with the kunai.

-

I've made quite a lot of money from the furs I brought back from the woods.

I've made a name for myself as a hunter by bringing in at least five or six tiger or bear pelts a week,

in addition to monkey pelts, and the occasional poison sac from some of the snakes and giant insects I kill.

-

My aunt Tenten always intervened if she thought the animal was too strong for me to handle.

This did not happen often, I am proud to say.

-

Because I became so well known for my hunting skills,

after graduation, I was put into the survival and scouting group as a genin.

This incidentally is causing me to spend more and more time at the Hyuuga compound,

because Hizashi happened to be put into the same team as me.

This is a good thing, considering it is always aunt Hinata who patches me up after training.

She doesn't feel that I need to trouble my mother for small wounds such as these.

-

I think I understand why my mother says that we women are emotionally stronger.

Every time Hiashi or Hizashi are emotionally troubled at all, they go to aunt Tenten, or aunt Hinata.

They rarely if ever go to their father for emotional support,

unless it is something that only another guy can understand, which then in most cases they rely on each other.

My mother also relies on her female companions for emotional support.

She rarely if ever goes to uncle Naruto or uncle Lee.

-

Aunt Hinata is a very kind person, always giving encouragement, compliments and is wise in many ways.

She speaks softly and has a gentle touch. She also makes very good salves and herbal medicines.

-

Many times, I've gone into the forests and mountains surrounding Konoha to gather herbs for her to use in her medicines.

This has helped me immensely with my agility, and I guess has always been somewhat of a training experience.

She always sends Hiashi with me on these missions though, just in case I ever get hurt.

It seems I'm always the one pulling him out of messes though,

like the last time he somehow accidentally bumped into a bee's nest.

It seemed an awfully convenient time for my sharingan to activate for the first time,

and I managed to burn the bees off of both of us with a jutsu I _just _learned from a textbook.

-

Even Hiashi was impressed, and he's as hard to please as his father.

Of course it never impresses him when I'm able to get a particular herb,

in a particularly hard to reach place, that he is unable to get to.

Nor does it impress him when I can adroitly squeeze past a crevice

that he has to blast his way through.

He just practically attributes it to the "smaller size, and greater agility of kunoichi",

and claims that if it wasn't for this there would be no use for female ninjas.

-

What nerve! I'll show him how much stronger a female ninja can be…one day.

I still haven't managed to win more than four out of ten matches against his younger brother,

and Hiashi is actually a lot stronger. But as I have said before, I take my blessings as they come,

and I'll use whatever advantages I have, whether it be smaller size, greater agility,

or even the underestimation of the opposite sex.

But the most important of all, is that I'll use my emotional strength,

because in the end that is what counts the most.

No powerful jutsu, not even the immortality no jutsu was able to defeat a person who just didn't give up.

That is the power of emotional strength. And as such, I will never give up my goal.

After all, "that is my ninja way".

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	3. Shocking News! Itachi

Disclaimer: Naruto and Co. are not owned by me, their existence is due to the ever incredible mind that is Kishimoto-sama's. However, Hikari is a character of my own creation, and Hiashi and Hizashi are too, essentially, except for their names. In my story, Neji decided to name his two twin sons after his father and his uncle, for a series of complex and complicated reasons which I won't go into quite yet. Well, I hope my writting's not too bad. I'm fairly new at this. Please feel free to leave any comments, be they negative or positive. Help me point out the flaws, and I will change them to the best of my ability. Silverfoxgirl-chan pointed out my previous spacing problem, and I have made an attempt at fixing it. Hopefully it helps, if not please let me know. Arigatou, that is all.

**

* * *

**

**Shocking News! Itachi's Alive?  
**

What? But how?

-

I thought Oroochimaru killed him at the request of my father before his body was to be taken over!

Does he even know that my father was the one who asked Oroochimaru to attempt the assassination?

Well apparently, he didn't...or else he tried but failed.

-

What do I care! He doesn't know of my existence...or does he?

I cannot let him murder anyone else, not my mother, not myself,

and not the ones I love the most.

I'm going to die... this is it, ... or is it?

-

That was my initial reaction upon learning that my 'evil uncle' Itachi was still alive.

I didn't know the details initially, all I knew was that he was…not as dead as we once thought.

Hizashi was the one who overheard. He had eavesdropped on a conversation between his parents,

who apparently had learned of this from the Hokage.

-

And uncle Naruto didn't tell me about it! I was outraged! How could he keep this from me?

Didn't I deserve to know? After all the trouble that man caused in my life…

didn't I deserve to know that he was no longer dead, and could possibly come after me?

-

But, as I was to learn, that was precisely the reason why they didn't tell me.

I wasn't in immediate danger after all.

Apparently, Oroochimaru did honor my father's request…

but he wasn't quite good enough to destroy my uncle completely.

Itachi had survived…but had lost his memory.

-

They had sent out an ANBU team to assess Itachi's state and condition.

They were to remain hidden, and not interact.

As such, the Hokage had hoped to avoid any unnecessary death.

However, one of the members of the team disobeyed.

-

Both his father and mother had been part of one of the earlier ANBU squads

sent out on a mission to retrieve Itachi after his initial disappearance from Konoha.

The entire team was killed, and he was left without any parents…an orphan.

They had not known this until after the squad had been sent out.

-

Naruto was banging his head against the desk for that particular miscalculation,

when the news was sent back. They were all very surprised.

Although Itachi had fought back, his attacks were far below the standards they had expected.

As it was, the ANBU member that attacked him only came back with a few minor stratches,

and even had to stop his attacks because Itachi was being protected by the villagers of the Hidden Rain.

-

So what was to be done? The decision was made that I was not to be notified.

-

"We don't need her to go out there and try to hunt Itachi down like one of her tigers.

And if somehow she were to accidentally revive his memory, then we'd all be screwed.

So we definitely can't tell her about this."  
-

He still didn't trust me. That hurt…a lot, more than he will ever know.

But I wasn't going to let that stop me. I'm not as rash as he likes to think I am.

I'm not stupid. I know that Itachi is not a character to be messed with, despite his loss of memory.

I wasn't going to go in waving my katana, or throwing kunai. I was going to find out information.

Maybe this wasn't even the same person. Maybe they got it wrong. How could Itachi,

even if he lost his memory, not be the same murderous person?

-

My attack jutsus might not be as good as my father's, or even my mother's.

However, I am a hunter, and as such my capabilities at hiding myself are far above that of the average shinobi.

I am small. I can fit into spaces nobody else can. I am fast.

Uncle Lee did help me out quite a lot with that, and so did grandpa Gai.

I am naturally quiet by nature.

These aspects of myself helped me as I sneaked into the Hokage's office

and stole the document that contained the new information on uncle Itachi.

-

I copied all the information quickly using my newly acquired Sharingan,

and placed the folder back into its original slot.

I have to thank Hizashi though…

he certainly provides some _interesting _distractions.

I didn't even think it would work!

Well, at least now I know grandpa Kakashi's porno magazines are useful for something.

And since when did _Hizashi _know how to do uncle Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu?

-

I decided I had to take him along,

after he threatened to tell his parents on me once he discovered my true intention.

I wasn't lying when I said that all I wanted was information.

The only thing was, much of the information I wished to obtained

required me to see him first hand.

I didn't know if I could put trust in rumors and second hand accounts.

I wanted to learn for myself.

He is my biological uncle after all.  
-

I left a message at home with my mom, hoping she would understand.

I wasn't out for revenge. I didn't care about that.

I knew what it did to my father, and I didn't plan on history repeating itself.

All I wanted was to meet him, this man I had hated all my life.

I wanted to free myself, and let go of that hatred.

I wanted to know if I could forgive him.

I wanted to know if he was really that monster I've always had in my dreams...

or if he had changed due to his loss of memory.

Something inside was pulling me towards this, and I couldn't deny it.

Maybe it was fate... or simply the inevitable.

-

We were only two miles out of the village, and I was already beginning to regret.

While I _was _feeling slightly bad about going against the uncle Naruto's wishes,

and assigning myself on this possibly dangerous mission,

I was also feeling a little bit guilty about involving Hizashi on something that was really my own problem...

However, the futher and futher we got from Konoha,

the less and less this became about guilt.

No...I felt like murdering him!

-

I never knew this guy coul_ talk _so much...

At that point, I had known Hizashi for quite some time.

Our parents being so close, we were practically like siblings.

We were in seperate classes at the academy, but we would often train together,

or hang out at the Ichiraku ramen shop.

-

And of course, it was always either me or his brother who had to save him

from the mass of angry women whenever he got caught peaking into the women's baths again.

-

His mother wouldn't intervene, because she always felt that he deserved a beating

for doing something so perverted.

His father always said that if he was dumb enough to get caught,

he deserved his fate.

But being the good best friend and brother that me and Hiashi were,

we couldn't just ignore his plight,

especially when it looked like those women were going to _kill _him...

not just beat him up near the point of death.

You wouldn't think he'd get caught since he has the Byakugan...

but he always wants a "closer look".

What an idiot.

And of course, bakas never learn.

-

As the distance between me and all that I had ever known grew,

I knew that it was going to be one hell of a journey.

-

"Hikari, we're going to be dead.

My mother's going to kill me for telling you.

My father's going to kill me for telliing you.

Your mother is going to kill me for telling you.

Uncle Naruto's going to kill me for telling you. '

Itachi's going to kill me for... well he's just going to kill me.

Please write on my grave that I blame it all on you,

and I'm never going to open my big mouth again. It always gets me in trouble.

You weren't _really _going to burn my paradise novels were you?"

-

A few minutes later...

-

"My dad's going to find out you know.

Can you just picture his eyes! You _know _how bad my dad can be!

I hate my life, can I kill you?"

-

Another few minutes later...

-

"Are we there yet? Can you give me some of that bug spray?

Do you even have any bug spray? You forgot!

How could you forget something that important?

Ah, wait... no fire! Please… AHHH!"

-

Seven minutes later…

-

"You _are _going to take all the blame for this right?

Please tell the ANBU members that this is _your_ fault.

This _is _all your fault.

I hate you Hikari.

Can we stop for lunch?"

-

A few seconds later…

-

"You know, you should dress more like a girl.

You'd look good with your hair down, and maybe a little bit longer too.

But you definitely don't have breasts

as big as this woman I saw in the bath house the other day"

-

Well, needless to say, he was knocked unconscious after that.

So we had lunch.

But _that _was only because I had to wait for him to wake up.

As I sat underneath the tree, listening to Hizashi _snoring_,

I was reminded of something my uncle Shikamaru often says.

...except he says _girls _are troublesome!

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	4. Through the Country of Grass

Disclaimer: Naruto and co. are not owned my me. They are owned by Kishimoto-sama. I also don't own the idea of the country of Grass. That's part of the actual world Naruto world. However, it's never really been described. All we know from the manga is that it exists. The same goes for the country of Rain, which will also be included in my story. I'm not sure how much of these two countries were introduced in the anime, as I haven't really watched all the filler episodes. Picturing the country of Grass in my head, I somehow got an image of the Serengeti plains in Africa. As such, my geography is based off of that. As far as my original characters, they are of my own creation, along with the ideas and situations that these characters get into. I don't care if you steal them. I'd be honored actually. If I ever see anyone using my ideas or characters in future fanfiction, it would be a major boost to my ego. Heh. Well if you want to leave a review, please feel free to do so. I don't care if it's negative or positive. In fact, critical reviews are more than welcome. And if you say I suck, at least point out where so I can fix it. I haven't figured out yet as how to seperate the paragraphs without using line segments. I'm going to try to figure out how to do so soon, so please bear with me if you can. Until then, I'll shall try to make the segments shorter so they're not as conspicious. Gomenaisai, and arigatou once again Bunch-o-Nuts sama for the heads up, as well as for the tip on what to write next.

And so without further ado, here's the next chapter.

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**Perilous Journey Pt 1: Adventure in the Grass**

**  
**

A young bird's goal in growing up is to eventually fly and leave the nest. Humans are like that too in a way. When children reach a certain age, there seems to be this natural urge to fly.

Away from the nest and everything that protects. Away from the burdens and restraints placed by family and even society. A young bird will spread its wings, and fly into the sky. It

will journey and it will journey far. However, no matter how great a distance that bird flies…it eventually builds a nest the following spring, around the same exact place as its parents

before it. I guess we're a lot like birds in that sense. Or maybe it's just all life in general…

-------

We stopped at many places along the way, some more memorable than others. I hunted the food, while Hizashi scouted the way. During the first part of our journey, we traveled

through the country of Grass. A young shinobi's basic training consists of more than just the basic knowledge of jutsu and chakara control. We learn survival training, physics, problem

solving, along with history and geography. These things are taught because the more experienced ninjas know that sometimes you actually need these various types of knowledge on

missions. Due to the restraints of time and energy however, the graduating exam can only test a maximum of three out of five of these subjects per year, the other two areas being some

form of simple jutsu or chakara control. It was fortunately for Hizashi that the year we were graduating, geography was not part of that exam.

-------

"Hey, Hikari? Where are we?"

-------

"Where do you think we are baka? Look around." It was obvious to me where we were. There was nothing but _grass _for miles.

-------

"I don't know..."

-------

"You idiot, didn't you pay any attention to Kiba sensei's lectures on geography?"

-------

"Hehe…I kind of, um, took naps during those classes."

-------

"We're in the country of Grass. You should be able to tell that from all the grass that's around. See that tree way out in the distance? That's called an umbrella tree, that's where we're

going to camp."

-------

We made our way towards the tree. As we started to make our camp, we began hearing strange voices in the distance. Not knowing if those voices were friendly, we decided to

investigate. Hiding between the tall stalks of corn-like blades, we slowly made our way towards the sounds. As we reached the edge of a small clearing, the voices grew louder. The

clearing did not appear to be naturally made. It was too neat…too circular. I had a strange suspicion, and I'm guessing Hizashi had the same feeling. Crouching low, we waited in

anticipation for something to happen. Three men rushed out of the clearing, dragging along a young girl about our age, 12 to 13. She was bound at the hands and knees and appeared

to be having difficulty walking.

-------

"This isn't right! How dare they? She's only a girl! We should go stop them… Hikari?"

-------

"No Hizashi…let's wait and see what happens. We don't even know what's going on yet."

-------

As we watched, the two men appeared to be speaking to the girl. I began to pay attention to what they were saying.

-------

"Please don't be too upset. We have no choice in this matter. You have to make this sacrifice. For our village…please, don't struggle too much. It will be over soon. Your life will

save the lives of many. We're here already. Just close your eyes. It won't be that bad…"

-------

I still didn't know what was going on. Hizashi apparently had heard enough. I had to put my hand on his arm to hold him back. There was a slight chance this wasn't what we

thought…though that chance was slim. Still…there was no need to be rash. It did not appear that the three men were going to kill her right away.

-------

The third man took out a huge, moderately thick spiked log-branch that had been strapped to his back. He used his huge bulging biceps to slam the log into the ground at the center of

the clearing. They carried the girl to that spike, and began untying her. But as soon as they were done untying, they began retying her to the stake. All the while, oddly enough, the girl

made not one sound of protest. It was all very strange. Apparently Hizashi noticed this too.

-------

"Why isn't she making an effort to get out? Is she just going to accept her fate like that without even a word?"

-------

I would have told him to be quiet…except I doubted those men would have been able to hear him had he shouted those words. They had a frazzled, nervous look in their eyes. As

they were at last done, the three men went a few steps away and made a large bow in unison.

-------

"Arigatou, Misaki-san!"

-------

After that, they took off at a speed a ninja would have been proud of. The girl's expression was a strange one for the situation she was in. Her eyes were closed, and her chin was up

in the air…as if she was _proud _that she was being sacrificed in such a way. I let go of Hizashi's arm, and began to walk towards the girl. Just as we reached the center of the clearing,

the girl opened her eyes. They widened in alarm.

-------

"What are you people doing here? You're not supposed to be here at all! Do you want to be killed along with me? Run! Before _it _comes."

-------

"It?" I asked, along with Hizashi. We looked at each other, puzzled. The girl gave us a look as if we were idiots. And now that I reflect on the situation, we must have looked quite

silly.

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"Don't you know about the Snake God Jiyuu? Where are you guys from! You're not from around here are you?"

-------

"We are Konoha ninjas," replied Hizashi. "And don't worry, a pretty girl like you we will definitely save from some snake."

-------

"He's not just _any _snake! He's the most powerful snake in the entire…"

-------

At this point, a loud hissing sound was heard. It was coming from the north of the clearing. This sound was familiar to me. I had killed man of its kind in the forest of death long before I

came here. What I realized after a while though…was that the sound came from a monster much bigger than the kind I was used to killing.

-------

"Oh no…it's too late…you are all doomed. Well at least this year he'll be happier…with three sacrifices instead of only one."

-------

As the sound became louder and louder, Hizashi and I prepared our kunai….neither one of us was planning on becoming a lunch-snack for a giant snake. The hissing came closer and

closer. Soon we were face to face with the largest snake either one of us had ever seen in our lives. We both knew that this was going to be a battle unlike any other.

-------

As its eyes fixed upon us, there was a momentary pause, almost as if ittoo was surprised that there were two creatures here instead of only one. That instant of hesitation gave Hizashi

just the time he needed to slash the ropes holding the girl. He slung her over his shoulder, despite her protest, and we leapt out of the way just as the snake's head crashed into the

post. It reared back a little. The post must have given it splinters. That's when I knew that what we were fighting against was not any kind of God, but merely a snake that was larger

then the type I usually fought. However, because of my prior experience, I had knowledge I otherwise would not have had. You see, a snake typically senses its prey using special

receptors in its face. So the first step in killing a snake this big would be, not to take out its eyes necessarily, but rather to take out its tongue. Fortunately for us, I had just the

equipment for doing such a thing. You see, there are times such as these when a sword comes in handier than a kunai or a shiruken. It was just for the purpose of something like this,

that I have a belt that is actually a sword strapped around my waist. Typically when I kill a large snake, I use this sword to hack off its tongue as it protrudes out. However, this time I

lack the element of surprise I usually do, and in addition to that the snake happens to be a lot bigger. However, accessing my current advantages, I had Hizashi with me…and

something that is bigger often moves slower too.

-------

"Hizashi, distract it for me."

-------

"Why am I always the distraction?"

-------

"It's what you're good at."

-------

"I doubt the sexy no jutsu's going to work on a snake Hikari."

-------

"Just think of something!"

-------

"Okay, geez…oh shoot its coming!"

-------

We both dived out of the way once more. As we were doing so, Hizashi threw his kunai at the snake. His aim was pretty accurate. He managed to hit both eyes of the snake right in

the cornea using six kunai, three in each eye. This was a good enough distraction. It reared back. Its mouth was wide open, and as such, I rushed in at the greatest speed possible and

made a quick cut. I'm not a samurai; therefore my skill is nowhere near as good. I did manage to hack off the tongue, along with some of the skin connecting its jaw. However, I also

accidentally cut off the tip of one of its fangs. As liquid spewed out from the fang that was cut, a question was answered that I had previously forgot to ask. The snake was poisonous!

Some of the poison came in contact with the skin of my forearm. Before the poison could act, I quickly did the hand signs for my recently acquired fire jutsu. This burned away the rest

of the poison that had been coming my way, and fortunately also succeeded in further addling the snake's nearly incapacitated senses. I quickly jumped out of range, as the snake

thrashed around in agony. My arm was beginning to become paralyzed. Hizashi seemed to have noticed that I was in trouble, because the next thing I knew he was at my side. He

seemed quite worried. I showed him my arm, which was turning slightly purple.

-------

"Poison…I was careless."

-------

I fought against the darkness threatening to overcome me. However, I knew that I probably wasn't going to stay conscious long.

-------

"Hizashi…do the 64 hands of Hakke…third vertebrae down from head…chakara point…"

-------

About that point, I couldn't really talk anymore. Of course, I managed to struggle for long enough to see Hizashi jump on top of the snake…and I thought to myself that we were all

doomed. But then again…maybe I should have put more faith in my best friend.

-------

I remember hearing voices in my head as I was lying there unconscious. It was in a dream, and the voices I soon identified were that of my mother, aunt Tenten and uncle Neji.

-------

"She'll be alright," this voice I recognized to be aunt Tenten. "She's pretty tough you know. Did you know that she's managed to learn how to do a katon justsu all by herself?"

-------

"Yes, Hiashi told me about it. He was quite impressed. However, it didn't look like any of the identifiable fire jutsus. She apparently came up with it on her own through reading about

it in a textbook. I do not think anybody capable of doing something like that is in the category of the weak." I almost wish uncle Neji really was capable of saying something like that.

As it is, he rarely if ever compliments me for anything. He's always the one who, no matter what my achievements were, would always challenge me to try harder…to do better. He

never seems to be satisfied with any sort of accomplishment, always reaching towards a higher level. I've always figured that's the way he is, and I've admired him for that. Hiashi is a

lot like him in that way.

-------

"My little girl…she'll always be my little girl. No matter how strong she becomes, and I know that she's strong…I'll always worry about her. There's no way I can stop worrying. I

just hope that wherever she is…out there…that he'll watch out for her." Mama...

-------

"You know my son will protect her with his life. It's the way he's been taught. It's what I expect."

-------

"I know, Neji-san. But I wouldn't expect such a thing. I'm talking about her father."

-------

"Sakura-chan…"

-------

"Tenten…I know I sound crazy, or maybe you think that I'm lying to myself…but somehow I've always had this feeling that he's been watching over us. I know that he's gone…but

somehow…I just"

-------

At this point, those voices began to fade away.

-------

"Wake up Hikari. You won't die here."

-------

This voice, felt strange to me. It was as if I should know who it belonged to, but for some reason I didn't. It was deep, airy and had a faintly soothing quality to it.

-------

The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes. I felt tired and devoid of energy. Slowly, the surroundings became clearer. I was in a small thatched hut, with wood framed windows.

Attempting to get up was a hard thing to do. I saw from the corner of my eye a movement. He helped me sit up. I turned my head slightly, and I saw that it was Hizashi. I never saw

him look so worried before.

-------

"Hikari…I thought you were going to… Don't you ever do that again! Do you know how many people would kill me if you died?"

-------

I smiled. It looked like things were going to be okay after all. We went out into the village later that day. Apparently I was out for quite a few days. There was an antidote for the

poison. However, the herb necessary to make said antidote was in an incredibly hard to reach place. It was only hard to reach because the place where the plant grew was guarded

by ninjas from the Hidden Grass. Hizashi told me that after killing that giant snake, a few ninjas weren't that big of a deal. That guy sure seems to be basking in the light of victory,

especially among the village girls. They were quite awed by his incredible feats. He was even offered Misaki-san's hand in marriage, since he did save her and allSurprisingly he

declined.Maybe he's not that much of a pervert after all, but then again... After the first bathhouse incident, his appeal lessened slightly. We decided to stay there for a

while, to recuperate as well as get some much needed supplies. After about a week, we were prepared to leave. However, we just had to be confronted by a small army of

Hidden Grass ninjas on our way out. It was a good thing the village wasn't one that was surrounded by a gate. As it was, we managed to hightail it out of there with a few angry ninjas

behind our backs.

-------

"Hizashi…just how many did you kill?"

-------

"I didn't kill any of them! I swear… Except I think I might have accidentally neutered one."

-------

"Oh… Hizashi…sometimes I really underestimate you too much."

-------

"Hikari, how could you of all people doubt my greatness?"

-------

"Hn, well you're something, I'll give you that much."

-------

"Well I guess I can't really expect more from you. I was kind of getting tired of those village girls worshipping me anyways."

-------

"I'll never be one of them. You can count on that."

-------

"You never know…"

-------

"Baka. You're my best friend."

-------

"Thanks…I think."


	5. Walk Into Rain

Disclaimer: This fic is largely based on the Naruto world. However, the characters I've been using have largely been my own, and the descriptions of Naruto world geography are based on my own conjectures. I'm not sure if they're actually true or not. Ask Kishimoto-sama. Except I'm not even sure _he _knows. As far as I know they're consistent with what information there _is _in regards to this particular area. In other words, there's nothing you can do to prove I'm wrong! Hehe...sweatdrops. Well, anyways... Before I forget, I really have to thank Sakura-chan for her suggestions. There's a good thing about Kishimoto-sama not saying much about these other countries. Since not much is known, the unknown can be made up. Thus one can perfectly well decide that Rain ninjas specialize in shamanistic/spiritual techniques. As for the other suggestion, it's definitely in the works. Sasuke's actually kind of still around. He's part of the reason why Hikari somehow managed to magically learn a Katon jutsu by herself. She did read about it in a textbook. But did I forget to mention that it was actually an introductory kind of book that stated nothing about how to utilize chakara or anything other than its name for that matter? She's kind of a genius, and she's pretty smart. But not even a genius could pull off learning a jutsu by its name only. I decided to post this now instead of later so I can keep up with my updating record. Hopefully it's still good, but if not I'll fix it later. As it is, it's 1:30am, . If I were an anime character I'd have swirlies for eyes right now. So I'll update again soon, hopefully. But untill then, reviews are as welcome as ice tea on a hot day...majorly.

* * *

**Walking into Rain **

There's a reason why they call countries what they do. The country of fire is called so because it was once covered in many volcanoes. Most of these are inactive now and are likely to

stay that way for a long time. However the ashes that had came from those peaks created a mineral rich environment suitable for the growth of many living things. It's one of the

reasons why Konoha is as wealthy as it is. Unlike the Hidden Sand, the village of the Hidden Leaf is constantly supplied with food by its surrounding villages and country-side. This

negates the necessity of importing food, which costs a lot of money. On the contrary, due to the surplus, we often ship food out to our allies. This also creates many job opportunity for

ninjas, as the shipped cargo often need protection from bandits and thieves. The country of Grass is named after its key geographical feature. It is a nation with primarily grassland

environment, with a portion of dense jungle along its western border. The Rain country too is named after what it has the most of. Yes, you guessed it…rain.

----------

We were chased by the Grass ninja for a total of three days. It was on the third day we officially crossed the border that the first drops of rain were felt. After that we experienced

downpour after downpour. It never seemed to end. We felt surprised that the place wasn't flooded. But then again, swamps are the best drainage systems ever invented since the

beginning of time. Thus we traveled through the dense muck. It was on the seventh day, or perhaps it was the seventh night, that we arrived at a conglomerate of thatched huts similar

to those we saw in the Grass. The only difference was that these huts were made from some type of wooden branches and the roofs were made of the largest leaves either one of us

had ever seen. After a brief investigation, we discovered that it was a small restaurant-café. As it was, we were very tired and drenched from walking in all that rain, so we decided to

stop there for a while.

----------

We entered the largest hut located at the center. This particular hut was long instead of round like the other ones. There was a fairly large sign above the front door that was written in

a language we could not understand, or perhaps it was in Kanji except that the words had been so worn away by the incessant rain that we could not make heads or tails of what it

actually said. Inside the hut there were a few crudely made tables and chairs as well as a small counter in the northwestern corner. The entire room was eerily quiet, and dark. The area

behind the counter was enshrouded in shadow. As we approached, a sudden gust of wind blew by us. We turned our heads and noticed that we were no longer alone in the room. A

strange young man was standing behind the counter, looking like he had been there the whole time.

-----

"Would you two like to order something?"

-----

The young man had short spiky hair of the same color as the leaves that made up the roof. His skin was as dark as the wood that made up the walls. His appearance was such that he

completely blended into the surroundings and yet at the same time…he had a ridiculous smile that was way too wide, and showed his teeth.

-----

"You guys didn't see anything! I was here the whole time I swear!"

-----

He stared at us for a while. It was obvious that we didn't believe him.

-----

"Oh please don't tell the master! I'll make it up to you guys I swear! You can have something free on the house. It's just that we don't get very many customers around here anymore. Not since the ghost that killed a whole army of ninjas from the Hidden"

-----

Just as he was saying that, an even greater gust of wind blew in from the front door. We turned around and saw…a man even bigger than my uncle Choji! Except this guy was almost as tall as he was wide! He shouted out in a great booming voice.

-----

"Koushirou! How many times have I told you _not _to tell thatstory to the customers?"

-----

"Hai! Sorry master! It was a slip of the tongue, honestly!"

-----

"So, it's not true then?" I asked.

-----

"Hai. There was such an incident. But that should not concern you. These spirits that inhabit this forest aren't creatures of evil intent. If you do not wish harm upon them, they shall not

seek harm upon you. Those ninjas didn't know this. They should not have sought to take land which does not belong to them. As it is, it is good that the Great Spirit protects this

forest. Otherwise there would be none left."

-----

"Hey, um, can we have something to eat? I don't know about you Hikari, but I'm starving."

-----

"Of course. Koushirou!"

-----

"Hai! Right away master! I'll be real quick." And he was gone in a flash…just like he had come in.

-----

"Aii, that boy is almost more trouble than he's worth. However, he is the greatest cook from around these parts. It's the only reason I hired him in the first place. I can see that you

two are foreigners. But don't worry; even if you don't know what is in the dish, I assure you the taste is excellent."

-----

"Oh it's alright. We don't mind at all. We're not really picky eaters." One of the reasons why Hizashi and I were such good friends was because of our similar appetites. Because of

my peculiar hobby back in Konoha, we've eaten everything from tarantulas to giant snakes and centipedes. Hizashi is the only other person I know besides me who's even dared to

try any, much less actually enjoy it.

-----

"Now is there anything else you two seek? Perhaps…it is a person?"

-----

"How… How did you know?" I was astonished! This man might not be what he seems.

-----

"Ahh…It was not hard. Many people have come here in search of people, or rather a particular person. It was a while ago, I forget how long, when I met a group of people just like

you two in search of a man they called "Itachi". Of course, back then he was not as famous to us natives of the Rain…as he is now."

-----

I was shocked! I couldn't believe our luck! To obtain the information we wanted so quickly…but then again I should have known. It was far _too _easy. How was I to know that this

would turn into an adventure much like the one we had in the Grass…except this particular sojourn would soon affect the whole entire rest of my life, and gain me an ability I'm not so

sure I wanted in the first place. I remember once when I was younger, uncle Neji told me that fate was something you can't predict no matter how sure you are of the outcome.

Sometimes I really think this is true.

-----


	6. Mononoke and the Rescue Itachi Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the Naruto anime/manga because, copyrights suck and Kishimoto-sama's the greatest, of course. I'm using a lot of my own characters in order to practice my character developing techniques as well as sometimes just to further the plot along. A lot of the descriptions of countries in Naruto's world is made up since they are not mentioned much in the actual anime/manga, unless there's a filler episode I have yet to see. I'm not sure if any of this stuff that I'm making up belongs to Viz now since it's based off of Naruto, and they own that...I think. But well, whatever. It's not like I care. Copyrights confuse me, therefore I tend to ignore them. Meh. Now on to the story. Oh and by the way, please leave a review if you can. I want to know if anybody besides the people that have reviewed so far are reading this at all. I think a lot of people are either really put off by the fact that it's practically all OC, or maybe I'm just not making it interesting enough. If in the second case, please make any suggestions you want as long as they're within reason. And if for the first reason, Itachi's coming in the next chapter, I swear! He's one of the coolest villans ever, and I really want to do his character right. I'm also going to have Sasuke show up, kind of...but well, yeah. We'll just have to see, sometimes the words come to me before I even know what's going on. It's creepy actually.

* * *

**-- **

**The Curse of the Mononoke and the Rescue Itachi Mission**

--

"What? Itachi's been captured by the ninja of the Hidden Rain? Why? How?"

--

And just when we thought things were getting easier too.

--

It seems that for some reason, Itachi had intervened on behalf of a local village against a ninja clan of the Hidden Rain. This family was very powerful, but had lost a lot of money due

to a recently failed business venture. A man named Hideki Takanashi was willing to pay an extremely high price for a piece of land located deep within the dreaded Mononoke forest.

This forest was similar to the Forest of Death and had often been used in the past as a place for the chuunin exams. As such, the ninjas of the Hidden Rain thought that they knew what

they were in for. However…somehow the members of the teams that were sent out to secure the land wound up killed mysteriously in the night. Their bodies were found the next

morning with no markings at all, dead without a trace of how it had happened. Many of the local villagers and even some within the Hidden Village immediately attributed the deaths to

the workings of the Mononoke. So now, instead of gaining the money they would have gotten, not only did the clan have to spend more money hiring better trained ninjas to complete

the task but they also had to pay people to keep their mouths shut and not let the situation come to the attention of the investor. But, after the third group of jounin were killed in the

forest in the same exact manner as the ones sent before them, fewer and fewer were willing to go into the forest at all. Soon, there seize to be any willing to partake of the now S class

mission, even on the order of the Mizukage. It got to the point where the situation could no longer be kept secret and the investor somehow found out. But instead of tearing up the

contract completely he added a clause which stated that any land bordering the area mentioned would be acceptable, so long as it was the same size in total area as the one requested.

It just so happens that bordering that area, existed a village. It was about the same in size as the area of the land requested by the investor, and the benefit was that it was already

inhabited, and therefore seemed to be outside the area affected by the curse of the Mononoke. However the head of the village would not concede to the idea of someone buying the

land that they had lived on for centuries, and was not willing to force his people to live in a different place, any different place, simply for the reason that somebody else wanted it to sell

for money. No amount of bribery, or threats was able to sway him. In the end, they hired a group of assassins. Unfortunately for the group of assassins, the day they were sent to kill

the stubborn head of the village, was the same day that _he_ arrived in the village, without a memory of anything but his name. Due to a mistaken confrontation, Itachi somehow wound

up killing the assassins, but not before they had accomplished their mission objective with the tip of a poisoned kunai. Thus somehow Itachi wound up being the new head of the

village, and was regarded as a hero for obtaining revenge for the death of their previous leader. This created quite a stir.

--

Fortunately for the village, the reputation of the one called Itachi Uchiha alone kept the ninjas from the Rain at bay for a while…until after the incident with the Konoha ninjas and they

realized that Itachi nowhere near as powerful as he was before. So after the ninjas from Konoha left, the clan sent three of their best men to the village. Although there was plenty of

resistance, in the end, half the village was burned down and Itachi was captured. A mysterious force somehow stopped the rest of the village from being destroyed. But this was not

the end. The ninjas from the Hidden Rain promised to come back with an even bigger army…

--

"So where is he now? And why did they capture him instead of killing him outright? Don't they know how dangerous he is if he were to regain his memory?"

--

"They know. However…they're more afraid of what would happen if they _did _kill him."

--

Hizashi and I looked at each other, then at the man. We were puzzled. What could possibly happen that would be worse to the Hidden Rain ninjas than Itachi regaining his memory

and killing them all.

--

"Ah, I believe I forgot to mention... Itachi is in a state currently…one you might called, possessed."

--

"What?" Both Hizashi and I shouted at the same time.

--

"You see…there's another reason beyond gratitude as to why the villagers were so easily willing to accept a man known as a criminal as their new head leader. There is a certain

inheritance, that every leader of this village had to pass down before he is able to transfer his position…this "inheritance" is actually the spirit known as the Mononoke. The village itself

has the name of Mononoke village…not because it borders the Forest, as the ninjas of the Hidden Rain thought, but because they are the actual guardians of the Forest, and of the

spirit that resides there. Every leader of the Mononoke village is required to be possessed by the Mononoke spirit. It is important because, if the Mononoke is without a host, all of its

powers would spread out to the forest and the areas surrounding it, causing massive damage due to foliage growth and vegetation where there really should be none. This kind of

environmental damage can spread to even as far as other countries that border this one, such as the Grass, the Sand, and maybe even far as into the Earth and Fire countries. This, I

believe, is the reason why the previous leader made his decision so hastily. And now…your Itachi, the one feared so much by everybody, is in possession of a creature so powerful

that if it broke free of the bonds to which ties it to the host, it could unleash chaos of unimaginable proportions. If Itachi were to regain his memory, at most he would kill all the

members of that one ninja family and leave. However, releasing the Mononoke has the potential of destroying all Rain. The MizuKage had not known about this before as the clan had

tried to keep it quiet. However, somehow he learned of this little factor. The clan was immediately ordered to cease what they had been attempting to do, and cancel the contract

immediately. However, the investor responded with a threat of cutting off all financial backing to the village if they did not succeed in the mission. So now, both villages have been put

into a critical state. As for Itachi… he'll most likely be held at the main prison compound at the edge of the Village of Hidden Rain, since this is the place that is most secure, and where

they usually keep criminals and the like."

--

At the conclusion of this story, the stout man gave a huff. "This is the reason why we haven't been getting customers lately. Everyone is afraid that something is going to happen to them

like what happened to the ninjas that came here on that mission. They don't know what we who have been living inside this forest for such a long time know in our hearts. If that spirit

had wanted to kill anybody, it could have easily done so before. It is not a vicious demon, but merely a creature trying to protect its home. Are we humans not like that too? How

many of those same ninjas, willing to give steal this forest away for mere money would not give their own lives to preserve their village, to protect the ones they cherish and keep their

children happy in their homes. Ah, but there's no telling what will happen now. But ah, at least Koushirou and I will survive. We may not have many customers...but the good thing

about living in a place such as this is that all the ingredients required to sustain human life exist inside this forest. We can survive off the land and wait till this recent bout is over. But…I

feel very sorry for the villagers, of both sides really. Those ninjas didn't know what they were getting into when they signed that contract…and now it is too late."

--

It seemed all gloom and doom. This applied for us as well. I never expected that I'd come all this way, dragging Hizashi along with me…only to find that Itachi's in a prison so guarded

that most likely even _my _stealth abilities wouldn't allow us to get in. And still…as much as I would like to see _that _person suffering in a prison, part of my reasons for coming here was

not so much revenge…but a letting go _of _that revenge mentality. That was what got my father killed, and I longed to get rid of the same burden which somehow now still resided within

me. After pondering along this line for a long time…I came upon a course of action. We would have to free Itachi. Hizashi and I. We would have to do this somehow, because doing

so would be the only way I could ever come to terms with my past, with any hate I carried inside me. As to what would happen after that…something inside told me that this course of

action was right…and that it would lead me to any answers that I sought. It was a feeling…an intuition you might call it. Although I don't usually operate under this mentality, in such an

instance I could see no other way. Besides…uncle Naruto often did things in this manner, and somehow luck always seems to be with him. I silently asked Kami-sama if I could

borrow some of that luck…because for this, we could definitely need it.

--

"If Itachi is being held there, then that is where we must go. Even if it's a maximum security prison, we should be able to get in somehow. We will be fine. After all, we've had lots of

practice recently. That sneaking adventure into the Hokage's office…and you Hizashi, you did manage to get that plant required for that antidote. The villagers in the Grass told me

that there were always hundreds of guards posted around there. If you managed to get past all of them, I'm sure we'll get past these ninjas of the Rain. We can't give up now. We've

come so far…"

--

"We won't give up Hikari. I may have been dragged into this situation, but I have learned on this journey that helping people can often lead to unexpected awards. And who

knows…since Itachi is technically the head of that village now, wouldn't we be doing them a service if we freed their leader and sent him back to them?"

--

"Hizashi! You're brilliant! That's the perfect excuse for rescuing Itachi. We'll tell him once we see him in that jail, that we're there for the purpose of breaking him out for the sake of

the village. He'll most likely think we were hired by the village people to go save him, so he won't be as suspicious of my background and intentions. This way I won't have to tell him

anything, but I'll still be able to observe him. But…it would be even more potent if we actually _do _get hired by those villagers. Say, "master chef" you still haven't told us your name

yet."

--

"It's Kyo. Kyo Midori, of the Mononoke Forest. And if you plan on heading to the remains of that village, please do take this with you."

--

He hands me an item he took from a large pouch sewn onto his very large apron. It was a small round metal coin made of something that smelled and looked like silver. It had the

words: Live and Die engraved on opposite sides of the coin.

--

"This was something given to me a long time ago by the village head when he was still young. It had belonged to his father, who was also the head before him. He was young and

foolish then, and forgot to bring money to pay for the food. So he gave this to me instead, and told me that any villager seeing that would immediately trust me. So, now with all that

has happened…this may just give you two the edge you need before convincing those villagers to send you two on this rescue mission you intend to undertake."

--

"Arigatou, Midori-san."

--

"You're very welcome. Now, sit here and wait for a while. I'll see what's taking Koushirou so long in cooking. He's usually much faster than this."

--

With that, he left the hut. From the distance we could hear his loud booming voice shout something, most likely telling his apprentice to hurry up.

--

As for myself…I sat there wondering how this journey has taken such twists and turns. It seems almost like dejavu again. In the country of Grass, we somehow managed to save a

village plagued by a large snake, and Hizashi faced ninjas from the Hidden Grass who were acerbating that situation by not allowing the villagers access to the main ingredient of the

antidote to the snake poison. Now, we were in the Rain country, and something similar seems just about to occur. Change the snake to a spirit and the situation was about the same.

But then again…Midori-san had said that the spirit wasn't precisely evil… unlike the snake. As well, Itachi was involved. That changes the scene quite a bit. However…both of these

situations seem like something that mere Genin like me and Hizashi…just weren't supposed to handle. And yet somehow, at least in the previous situation, everything turned out ok. It

all seems so coincidental…almost like it was…fate. Then I shook myself mentally. I was beginning to sound like uncle Neji!

--

As I was wondering about such things silently to myself, Koushirou came whizzing in with the food.

--

"Gomenasai for taking so long…I thought your conversation was interesting so I sort of listened in. Don't worry! The food's a okay, I turned the burner off when I was done. I also

needed to add some finishing ingredients. Well! Enjoy!"

--

"Arigatou Koushirou-san." I said.

--

As the plate was set down, I realized how hungry I was. There was only one plate, so we had to share, but Hizashi didn't seem to mind, and neither did I. The plate was huge, so

much so that the edge of the plate was hanging off the table. There was a huge assortment of meat and vegetables piled on top of the plate and covered in a sauce that made the dish

look a bit like the curry of life I had tried once before back in Konoha. As such, I decided to let Hizashi try it first. After all, he was certainly more experience with _that _particular dish.

He had more contact with Uncle Lee than I did during the early part of our lives. Actually…come to think of it, _Hizashi _was the one who invited me to try that dish first, along with

Uncle Lee. That baka probably invited me just to see my reaction after I took the first bite. I wouldn't put it above him. This _is _Hizashi after all. Half the time I think he lets the women

in the baths see him when he's taking a peak…just _to _get a reaction from them. For a Hyuuga, he certainly loves attention. Ah, but it just goes to show that nurture plays just as nature

in a life sometimes. Uncle Neji constantly blames Hizashi's behavior on his old sensei, Uncle Lee, grandpa Kakashi and great grandpa Jiraiya. Those four were constantly being sent

over by Uncle Naruto, since, "As the Hokage, I can't let those two shrimps turn out to be as stuffy as their father. One Neji is enough…but two Nejis? That's scary." It might surprise

you that Uncle Neji and Aunt Tenten might object to this…but apparently they didn't seem to mind, perhaps because it was an order by the "Hokage", although how Uncle Naruto

came to be one, I'll never really know. It wasn't until the first peeping incident occurred with Hizashi that those two finally decided they had enough. Except it was more like Uncle

Neji had a fit… and Hizashi wasn't kidding when he said that Uncle Neji is scary when he's angry. This is one of the reasons I think that in ordinary life situations; Hizashi has far more

courage than me. He faces that kind of wrath every time his antics get too far. Once I was in the room after a particularly bad incident that both Hiashi and I had to get him out of. We

were both cringing at the look on Uncle Neji's face, and Hizashi had a silly grin. It's amazing really… And in circumstances where an unknown food might be too spicy for me to

handle…as with now…it's always Hizashi that tries it first. The curry of life incident has forever scarred me to the possibility of my food being waaay too spicy.

--

At that moment, Hizashi couldn't have had a more Uncle Lee-like expression than if he actually _was _Uncle Lee. His silver eyes somehow seemed to emphasize the white gleam of his

teeth. He was also holding that strange utensil Midori-san gave us to eat with…something called a fork…the way that you would hold a shiruken knife. It freaked me out, but at the

same time made me want to laugh out loud. As it was, all I said was.

--

"You go first Hizashi, I don't mind."

--

"Arigatou Hikari! Itadakimasu!"

--

After the first few bites and he didn't seem to be turning red…I decided to try it myself.

--

"Hikari, this is so good. Why aren't you eating?"

Hmph! As if I'd lose to _him _in eating. I took up my forku in exactly the same manner that he had, and started chowing down just as fast, if not faster. It wasn't really spicy at all…only

we were both reaching for it at the same time. An incredibly awkward moment ensued to which for some reason the forks just wouldn't come unstuck. We were so busy trying to get

our forks unstuck that we didn't even notice when an extremely large shadow loomed over our heads and plucked the last piece right out under our still stuck forks.

--

"Kourshirou! You didn't add enough spices!"

--

It was only then that the two of us noted that the last piece of meat was gone…and our forks were still...

--

"Ah, when something like that happens, you just do this." And as he said it, the large man took the two forks and just seemed to just pull them apart effortlessly. Hizashi and I looked

at each other and laughed.

--

After we paid for the meal, we asked Midori-san and Koushirou-san if we could stay there for the night.

--

"Absolutely. And the Inn fee is on the house. Somehow, this forest is telling me that you two being here will have a good effect on this land…and I believe it. If you two do happen to

embark on that rescue mission, I wish you both the best of luck."

--

"Arigatou, Midori-san. Goodnight." Our voices overlapping as we said this, we both began to set up our small camp inside a relatively large round hut that was nearby. Just before I

was about to fall asleep, Hizashi voiced a question.

--

"Hey Hikari? I don't doubt our abilities will get us past the Rain nin…but, do you really think Itachi will come with us, even if we do somehow manage to break him free? What

if…what if he's not willing to come with us and decides to kill us instead. What then?"

--

"I doubt that's going to happen Hizashi. From what we've heard so far, these Rain nin don't seem like the type to treat any kind of prisoner with personal dignity. My mother's met

him before briefly once…she told me that, even though he is evil, he seems to be the kind of person that values his own pride above everything else. A person like that couldn't

possibly be content to stay in a jail of any kind."

--

"But he's lost his memory, could he not have changed? How much can a person change if they lose the memories they have? Sometimes when I think about it, if it weren't for grandpa

Kakashi, Uncle Lee and all the others in my life…I wonder what I would be like. Would I be like my father, who never seems to be satisfied with the way things are? Would I be like

my aunt Hinata who's always quiet and never seems to take a risk at life?"

--

"I don't know Hizashi", I was kind of surprised that he had said all that, considering that I had been reflecting on that exact same point earlier. Sometimes it's scary how much we think

alike. Maybe it's because we've been friends for so long…

--

"I think that even if a person loses their memories of their life…whatever's truly in their nature still remains. And a person can't lose all their memories, and even if they do…wouldn't a

trace of that memory still be left in our souls, even if not in our minds? I'm not sure… Its times like these I wish my mother were here. These are the kinds of questions I usually ask

her." It was strange. It hadn't been until that moment that the homesickness hit me, and I really began to miss all of the people back in Konoha. That was probably why my voice

cracked a little when I told Hizashi that I really missed my mother.

--

"Yeah, I really miss all of them too. I think all this talk of memories is making us homesick. But don't worry Hikari. We'll definitely see them again. We just have to trust in our own

abilities I guess. And like you said…this won't be that bad right?"

--

"I'm sorry Hizashi."

--

"What? Why?"

--

"It's my fault you're here. If I hadn't brought you along, you'd be back home with them and completely safe. I'd never be able to forgive myself if you got hurt because of me. That's

what you're scared of isn't it? Then maybe you shouldn't go with me. He's not your problem after all, he's mine. You're only being dragged along. You should stay at the village and

help them out. They probably need it. I'll go…and if I don't come back, just return to Konoha and tell everybody what happened. I'm sure they'll understand. I'll even write a letter to

them just in case"

--

"There won't be a just in case." He said this very somberly. "Because I'm definitely coming with you. You think I'm a coward? I wasn't saying that because I was scared. I was only

stating a worst case scenario. Maybe we should think of a plan to convince Itachi to come with us in case he doesn't really want to. That's all I was saying. I wasn't saying that I

wasn't going to go with you. You think you'd feel guilty if I got hurt? How do you think I'd feel if you died and I knew that I wasn't there to protect you as I should? I'm glad you

brought me with you. What do you think would have happened if I hadn't been here when that snake poisoned you? Who would have fought all those Grass nin in order to get that

plant that was needed for the antidote? I am not a weak shinobi. You know that."

--

"I know you're not weak Hizashi. I train with you, remember? It's just that…I guess _I'm _scared. This guy killed my entire clan. I feel really weird inside. Like I'm being pulled in two

directions and I don't know where to go. I'm saving the person I should want to die and suffer eternal torture in the pits of hell. Why am I doing this Hizashi? Please tell me why I'm

going to do this."

--

"I think…it's because you're a good person. You don't want him to suffer, even if you think that's what you should want. It's what I admire about you actually. I remember back in

the academy when people used to tease you about your background. You used to get so mad about that, and then one day…instead of getting mad, you just smiled at the person. As

if you didn't care, and you forgave him for all the bad things he'd said in the past. I think that's the strength you're searching for now…and it's why you want to rescue him instead of

kill him like your dad wanted to. But I don't really know…I'm not you…"

--

"But you understand me better than anyone else…sometimes even myself I think. I really am glad I brought you along. At least now I know I'm not alone. Thanks...Hizashi."

--

"You're welcome. I think we should get some sleep…if we're really heading out to that village tomorrow, we'll definitely need the energy. And Hikari? You're definitely not alone."

--

I smiled…and I remembered something my mother told me before. The greatest strength lies in the ability to believe in yourself and your friends. This strength is emotional strength, and

it has the ability to let you live for a hundred years. And I also remember something my Uncle Naruto told me as well. When you believe in yourself and the people you care about,

anything you set your heart on is possible. It's times like these that I really understand what they're saying. It was then that I knew that we were going to get through this okay. I

believed it.

--

My eyes closed. Soon we both fell asleep to the sound of the Rain country night, and the soft pelting of raindrops on the ground.

--


End file.
